Wiiblogging
OK.
Posting from the Wii with a Wireless USB keyboard.
Why?
Because I can.
Because I have a Wii.
And YOU DON’T!
Entries Tagged as 'Video Games'
Found one.
I thought it would be difficult to find a worse controller for Pac Man than the XBox360 controller. I was wrong. Mad Catz makes a so-called arcade stick for the XBox360. It’s wired, but since it was on clearance for $10, I figured what the hell.
It. Just. Plain. Sucks.
The redeeming qualities? It came with codes for a few cool games for free. And I can take it apart and not feel bad about it. Now where’d I put that Happ catalog…
Pac Man Championship Edition - XBox Live Arcade
I’m feeling a little cheated here. I played the demo, which times out after 3 minutes. I liked it, I bought it.
And then I find out that there’s one critical flaw - Microsoft has deliberately made a controller that sucks ass so that I’ll go insane!
I mean, I knew about 3 seconds into DoA4 that the d-pad on the default XBox360 controller was total crap. It will go in any direction, just not often the one you thought you pushed.
But there’s a little twist in Pac Man CE: it gets faster at about 4 minutes. So fast, in fact, that the analog stick on the 360 controller is no longer adequate to the task of actually making Pac Man go where he’s told.
I mean, I dig the concept. It’s fun to play when you aren’t cursing out the controller.
But it ought to come with a warning: “Due to the fact that our controllers suck like a Shop-Vac, you might want to consider a real controller in the price of this game.”
Blatant Cheating
ok, Mario Kart DS has officially pissed me off.
Let me explain. The “blue shell” is supposed to hit the racer in first place. If you aren’t in first when it’s fired, but you are when it gets to the front of the pack, it hits you.
So, what it decides to do to me tonight is this: I’m in first, I get passed, and then the freaking blue shell hits me in the ass!
Fucker.
High Score, bitches!
Zoo Keeper. Top Score. Not a personal best, but good enough to take out the previous leader. That’s right, I bad!
Toys!
Won me an Atari Flashback 2. Can you say “MAME”. I knew you could.
Also bought a “Darth Vader” 4-switch 2600 for modding. I’m thinking about putting a media PC in that one.
And bought a homebrew 5200 game - Koffi Yellow Copter.
vgXpo 2006
We’re HEEEEERRREEE!
After a hard night of gaming, we’re ready to hit the show floor today. Played a little of the Guitar Hero 2 demo disc. I think I need to get me that game.
They won’t even bother
Rockstar’s Bully has shipped. It would appear that the game is precisely the opposite of what assholes like Jack Thompson want you to believe it is.
Not that they’ll ever know. That’s the beauty of being better than everyone else. You get to stand in judgement of their plebian lives without ever having to experience any of it. So, JT and his merry band of assnozzles will continue to bray about how videogames are destroying our culture without actually ever laying hands on one.
After all, they’ve made up their minds. Why bother confusing things with the truth?
Appallingly Stupid
That’s about how I’d sum up the single-player experience of Worms Open Warfare on the Nintendo DS. This game features the stupidest AI on planet Earth. There were smarter games on the Atari 2600 with it’s 128 bytes of RAM.
Other than that, and a few quibbles, it’s a fine game. Don’t get me wrong - I like it. Blowing up worms is always a satisfying way to pass the time. But don’t expect a real challenge from the single-player experience, as there isn’t one to be had.
On to the specifics. I’ll even try to make this look like a real review.
[Read more →]
Tony Hawk’s American Sk8land - DS
Mini Review Time!
Tony Hawk’s American Sk8-land for Nintendo DS. Take away all that extra crap that they added to Tony Hawk’s Underground, and get back to the roots. That’s what this game does.
It actually combines THPS 2 and 3/4 in an interesting way. There’s a “Story” mode, in which you wander around THPS4 style, doing things for people in exchange for cash. You are using this cash to rebuild a skate park. That’s all I’m sayin’. No spoilers here.
There’s also “Classic” mode, which is like THPS 2. You have 2 minutes, and there are 10 goals on each level. Finish a certain number of goals, next level opens up. You also have the gaps to find and complete, and I think there’s extra “hidden” goals, but I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.
The moves are right out of 3/4, with the revert, acid drop, and flatland tricks. They got rid of that idiotic “run off” thing from THUG.
They also added online and wireless multiplayer, which I haven’t used yet. I’ll get back to you on that too.
Things I like
The controls. Just like on the Dreamcast where I first played THPS2, and later the PS2 for THPS 3/4. Response time is good, and usually when I bail it’s on account of I suck.
The specials. There’s three (I’ve only unlocked 2, but it’s pretty obvious there’s room for a third) areas on the right side of the touch screen that can be mapped for context-sensitive auto-specials. Very useful for bustin’ out a MAJOR combo.
The graphics. Cel-shaded, which means higher frame rates. I don’t care about realism when I’m doing 4 tricks in the air. The game is fast and smooth. The bottom screen being a map is actually useful.
The stat-building. Unlike 2 (use money to buy stats), or 3/4 (get stat points at random intervals to build stats), you actually increase your stats by practicing! As you do a longer manual, your manual stat goes up. Hold that lip just a little longer? Lip balance goes up. Do more grab tricks in the air? Ollie better. You get the idea.
Things I don’t like
Nothing. Seriously. Well, maybe the size of the screen, but that’s hardly Activision’s fault. There’s not a whole lot of music either, but that’s a function of cart space, isn’t it?
This game is good. Real good. I don’t know why there’s so many copies of it used at my local GameStop, but it’s a keeper in my book.